History Repeating: Olympus PEN-F Review

The original Olympus PEN-F first hit the streets in 1963. Built around the half-frame film format, it quickly gained a following thanks to its beautiful, yet simple design and small size. Getting 70 images to a roll of film probably didn't hurt, either. Now, 53 years later the PEN-F is back.

The digital reincarnation of the 35mm film Olympus PEN-F does not replace the current digital PEN flagship E-P5, rather it slides in next to it as the 'premium' option in the PEN family. The reason being that unlike digital PENs before it, the F has something much more OM-D-like: a built-in 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder. The F also boasts the highest output resolution of any Olympus body to date, boasting a 20MP Four Thirds sensor (probably the same one we've seen in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8).

Released specifically to appeal to street shooters and the design conscious looking for a capable camera with retro-styling and rangefinder-like controls, the PEN-F has a lot going for it.

Olympus PEN-F features:

20MP Live MOS Four Thirds format sensor

5-axis image stabilization with automatic panning detection

2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder

Up to 10 fps continuous shooting (20 fps with electronic shutter)

Highly customizable interface, twin controls

Fully articulating 1.04 million dot, 3" LCD touchscreen

50MP High-res Shot mode

1/8000 sec top mechanical shutter speed (1/16,000 with e-shutter)

1080/60p video recording

All of the above come packaged in a machined aluminum and magnesium body, with no visible screws anywhere. A faux-leather wrap encircles the PEN-F and the body itself is both well-weighted and has a very solid feel to it.

With many of the same guts as the OM-D EM-5 II and sleek rangefinder-style looks (reminiscent of Fujifilm’s X100 series cameras), the most direct Micro Four Thirds competitor to the PEN-F is the Panasonic GX8, which also uses a 20MP chip. Other close competitors include the Sony a6000, a6300 and the Fujifilm X-E2S - all of which are APS-C format cameras. Of course, the PEN-F also has to compete against alternatives within the OM-D series as well.

To help us to better understand how the PEN-F fits into the market place as a whole, we chatted with Eric Gensel, a technical specialist with Olympus. He breaks down exactly how the PEN-F fits in Olympus' lineup, who the target-audience of the camera is and what went into the design process:

Compared to its siblings

Many of the highlight features of the PEN-F aren’t new. In fact a lot of the key spec is shared with other recent Olympus releases. However, some functions have been improved upon. For instance, thanks to its 20MP sensor, the PEN-F is capable of higher resolution in multi-shot mode compared to the OM-D E-M5 II, up to 80MP in Raw mode (50MP in JPEG). It also features a dedicated creative control knob on the front, as well as four customizable shooting modes, accessed via the locking exposure mode dial.

It’s hard to see the PEN-F as a large step forward given how many of its core features are inherited from other models, but it offers a handling experience that is unique in Olympus's lineup. Is the PEN-F more than just a pretty face? Let’s dig in.

Olympus PEN-F

Olympus OM-D E-M5 II

Olympus PEN E-P5

Pixel count

20MP

16MP

16MP

Image stabilization

5-axis

5-axis

5-axis

Stabilization (CIPA)

5 stops

5 stops

4 stops

Max shutter speed

1/8000 (1/16000 electronic)

1/8000 (1/16000 electronic)

1/8000

On-sensor PDAF

No

No

No

Continuous shooting (without /with AF)

10 fps / 5 fps

10 fps / 5 fps

9 fps / 5 fps

Flash

Clip-onTilt/bounce/rotate

Clip-on Tilt/bounce/rotate

Pop-up flash

Viewfinder

Built-in 2.36M-dot LCD1.23x mag

Built-in 2.36M-dot LCD 1.48x mag

Optional VF-4 accessory EVF w/ 2.36M-dot LCD and 1.48x mag

Max video res/rate

1080/60p

1080/60p

1080/30p

Max bitrate

77Mbps

77Mbps

20Mbps

Mic socket

No

Yes

No

Rear screen

Fully articulating 3" touchscreen1.04M-dots

Fully-articulated 3.0" touchscreen 1.04M-dots

Flip up/down 3.0" touchscreen 1.04M-dots

Wi-Fi

Yes

Yes

Yes

Environmental sealing?

No

Yes

No

Battery life (CIPA)

330

310

330

Weight

427 g

469 g

420 g

Dimensions

125 x 72 x 37mm

124 x 85 x 45mm

122 x 69 x 37mm

Pricing and availability

The Olympus PEN-F will be available at end of February – early March 2016, and will hit the streets at a body-only price of $1199. It ships with the FL-LM3 flashgun seen in the image at the top.

Comments

I own a Pen-F and really like it. Granted, when the camera was first released, it was overpriced. Now you can get one at a more reasonable price and that's why I got it.

I used to have an EM-5 MKII and also own a Pany G9. I sold off the EM-5 MKII after getting the G9 since the latter bests it for both stills and videos and has more features than I need. The G9 is on the large size and I like having a smaller platform that's well suited for small prime lenses or compact zooms. This where the Pen-F has it's niche. If you want to shoot sports or action, need an all weather warrior, require advanced video capabilities, look elsewhere. The Pen-F is not for pros, it's for enthusiasts.

It is a great street shooter and by far the most fun m4/3 camera I've ever used. As advanced and capable as the G9 is, the Pen-F is the one which invites me to go and shoot just for the fun of it. if you can find a new Pen-F under $1000, then consider it.

Why is it 20% premium (30% by current prices) over em-5 II? Better sensor but no sealing seems like a draw. I'd love it as a second, more compact body without compromises, but as it is, I am much better off with a second om-d or a panasonic. I wouldn't mind paying even 1.5K for a pen-f or om-d with sealing and pdaf on a compact body, seems like an artficial gap between em-1 which will never be acceptable for some as it forefits the main benefits of the system. I always accepted premium prices for the portability, but asking more than some FF, including the awesome K-1 is ridiculous.

The Pen F will focus hunt indoors.Auto Focus in general is slower with the Pen-F, then any of the recent Panasonics.The reviewer also stated that the Pen F is better for "macro" yet the Pany has "pinpoint" focus ..= (no contest).Consider that the Pen-F has a retarded "flip out" screen" that does not allow for tilting up or down, unless flipped out first, so, there goes incognito street shooting from the waist, and there goes "macro" shooting from your knees regarding of any small object that is growing out of the ground.Annoying also is that you cant get the Pen-F to post a square box of any size on the screen so that you can use this as the "middle" for centering focus.So, enjoy your Pen-F... .I have one, but the Pany is faster, is a better shooter, has better IS, and for the "macro" crowd there is no competition for a Panasonic, including the Pen-F with its retarded "selfie" screen."Street Shooter"?.. Get the Fuji X-T20 with a Fuji 18mm or 35mm = game over for Mr Pen-F.

Where is the thumbs down when we need it? Panasonic "has better IS" - your opinion or is there some objective basis for this comment? And, you might rethink your use of "retarded" as a general purpose pejorative.

A FILM Pen F had a central viewfinder. It didn't have fake Leica rangefinder styling. If this camera was a true Digital Pen F I'd be interested. But I'm not a poser, so I'li continue to use my 1935 Leica llla Full-Frame-Film camera when I feel the need to look like an Angry Artist 8-)

What would I be posing for? I did not purchase the camera for looks. You are clearly a Leica snob. They lost WWII and Leica is lost in the digital world. Yes you can pay more for the "prestige" but I would say you are the poser!

Question: I prefer to use the viewfinder when shooting. I wear eye glasses. Sometimes, in bright over my shoulder lighting the viewfinder sensor does not detect the presence of my eye. Is there a setting that enables the viewfinder to be on 100% of the time the camera is turned on? I prefer not to use the LCD when shooting. Thank you.

There is something wrong the way pdreview shows the target compare, if you download to raw 80mpix file it not soft like the wedpage shows it, it looks like the compare view is doing something the the image; may be even enlarging over 100%

got mine in silver 2 weeks ago its a lovely thing and for now fuji xe2 and its lenses take a rest .... fuji could have gotten my 1200 dollars this cycle with an xe3 with a new sensor .... oh well im glad i didnt sell my m43 primes now that havnt seen much use in a long time

E-mail from Olympus-Europa to Day: " Unfortunately the E-P5 is no longer produced but you can buy the new one Pen-F. We can give you a link to a retail dealer near your place".So this is the official obituary of the E- P5,dear friends..........

By carlibanYou wrote that the Pen-F will NOT replace the actual flagship EP5.Now three weeks after is the product discontinued in Olympus web-USA.I am trying to buy it in Denmark but is also out of the web!So much for that.......

well, no new E-P5 anywhere in Greece as well as far as I could net-search it (not that I could afford it) so it seems that the dpreview guys should have taken the Oly marketing words with a grain of salt...

Many thanks for the reply. Yes I am mastering that technique now and it seems to work. It's only really a minor niggle. There has been so much praise for the beauty of this camera which so makes you want to just pick it up and take photos which is what its all about. I particularly like setting to Mono 2 and closing the LCD screen, put on the 35mm f1.8 to concentrate on grabbing the shot.

Ive been shooting with this camera for last few months and i love it. Amazing piece of equipment. Light and portable to take anywere, only thing i miss is weather sealing ehhh i gues cant have everything

Since the Pen F is primarily a street photography camera, I don't think Olympus intended it to be used with the 300mm Pro, so Yes, it's going to be top heavy. I saw one review on YouTube from a pro stating that even the 40mm to 150mm was top heavy. Still, the image stabilization is designed to work together - so you have a very interesting concept, handheld street photography with a 300mm lens. You wouldn't be very inconspicuous but at that distance, do you need to be?

This camera is thin with no protruding grip like your em1 so it will be harder to use with any tele lens. If you want this camera and use a lot of tele lenses you might want to invest in the accessory hand grip. Zoom lenses will work fine with the pen, it's more of any heavy or larger lenses will make the thinner body harder to hold one handed.

That's personal preference, look at a bunch of posted pictures from both cameras and decide which are more pleasing to you. If you shoot raw I'm sure both can produce similar results since they are most likely the same sensor.

Hi all, I was thinking to buy a Pen-F. However I have major concern about the following negative feedback from dpreview about: Sports and action shooter seeking a camera that can both fire bursts, while maintaining focus on a moving subject..... Is the Panasonic GX8 truly better for sport and action photography? Or maybe a simple firmware update might fixed this issue soon for the Pen-F ?

The Panasonic is much better for action shooting, Olympus choose to put an older non hybred autofocus system into the pen f. Which in my opinion crippled the camera, specially with Panasonic already having better autofocus than the omd why would Olympus opt to put an even older styled autofocus system in the pen.

I was able to play around with a pen f this weekend, a friend of mine purchased the pen and I purchased the xpro2. They both are great cameras and we both liked playing around with both cameras. I would have to say my biggest disappointment in the pen f was the outdated autofocus for Olympus not sure why they didn't give it the hybred autofocus of the omd. The autofocus surprised both of us as bit inaccurate compared to the Fuji and his omd. We both liked both cameras new black and white jpegs. They are very different the pen has very exaggerated darks with no mid tones which was very nice for certain images but in others created very dark mono images. Verse Fuji b and w were all about the different shades of grey to black. I personally didn't love the grain effect on either camera. I also don't love the Olympus jpegs but the owner of the camera does, so that's what matters. I just do a lot of people and portraits and find the pens jpegs to give orange skin tones when you get more saturated photos. And if you try to get the skin tones correct the rest of the photo is very flat. But some people don't mind the warmer skin tones. I'm also very surprised by its rating of 82, think it's a bit overrated here, it's a great looking camera with neat futures but seriously lacks in autofocus compared to the omd and is worse than the Fuji which is a shocker to me and the owner of the camera. Also the back lcd is tilting which is nice but is not very detailed or bright next to the Fuji screen, especially in any sunlight. The pen is also much slower in processing photos or shifting around on the camera than the Fuji. Not sure why Olympus didn't borrow all their best available from the omd and put it in the pen with the new sensor that would have been an 82. This camera seems like a great new sensor in an outdated package. But it was fun to hold and play around with for a while, I wouldn't trade it for the xpro2 though. So I'd recommend going out and trying it before buying it.

Something has to give. The DPR ratings aren't making sense anymore. The sensor needs to play a bigger role in ratings. When the RX1RII with a 42mp sensor and highest DR and ISO performance gets the same rating as this tiny sensor camera, we've got a problem. The PEN-F is popular and a great camera but sensor IQ should be weighted higher.

I'm guessing there's a technical reason. I suspect that there's some issue with sensor heating with extended shutter and your issue might be somehow related. There's also limitation in shutter speed used for focus stacking 1/8th I think.

With luck they will work to overcome this. Interesting to see if the two ARE somehow related.

I don't do video and don't know anything about it, so this is a serious question. Please don't read it as being challenging or hostile.

If the lack of 4k video is a deal-breaker for you, why not look at dedicated video cameras instead? We seem to get more and more video features piled on to still cameras, which seems kind of like trying to make a camel into a horse.

It would seem to me that a videographer would prefer a camera that was designed from the ground up for video, but apparently that's not the case. Doesn't anybody make an affordable high quality video-only camera?

Sure. The only people who seem to suffer from cameras like the Pen F not doing 4K video or indeed other still cameras not doing video 'properly' are people who don't make a living at shooting video. I'm a TV news cameraman for the past 30 years, grounded in still photography since the beginning. I make my living shooting video. I would not consider any still-picture based camera for video. I have no interest in DSLR video (although, as I say, plenty who don't shoot professionally seem to) and use instead purpose made video cameras with proper balanced sound inputs and ancillary capability (like wireless video links for live outside broadcasts). These tend to be expensive, and funding a professional level shooting kit will set you back anywhere between £20k and £50k - but guess what, I don't work for peanuts. Horses for courses. I will be buying a Pen F soon and (as I have done with my Fuji cameras previously) will be ignoring all the video functions. Cheers!

Hybrid photography is becoming very popular with former still photographers to enhance their offerings. So, for example a photographer is hired to do a Sweet 16 party. In addition to photographs, they also shot short videos to post to a website. You get a more complete story. It would be nice to be have to have a separate dedicated video kit, but that's expensive and cumbersome. Enter a Panasonic LUMIX GH4.

Other than battery life, the price is of this camera appears to be it biggest shortcoming. $899 looks about right for this camera. This can be fixed and it will probably happen when the E-M1 II is introduced.

I think this is similar to E-P5 story. E-P5 was -and still is- an amazing urban camera, but the price was to high. When E-M1 was released, with all the E-P5 goodies and more, the price was adjusted properly.

I agree. What is interesting is just how high they are starting with the MSRP for this camera. The flagship E-M1 can be purchased at a lower price. I guess Olympus believes that the 20MP sensor gives the Pen F a boost in the market.

I guess a few early adopters might be enticed, but most buyers will wait for the aggressive pricing to start on this camera.

Well, the current price of the Pen-F should include a margin for the initial costs of licensing a new sensor, R&D to incorporate it into its products, and the marketing campaign -they did a good job in England.

The E-M1 on the other hand is a 2 years old machine, without much marketing, we can assume that any R&D costs are already paid-off, thus Olympus now gets just profits regardless of its current price. It makes sense for Olympus to drop the MSRP for the E-M1, even if it undercuts other products. If they don't keep people interested into "upgrading" from other m4/3 or systems or even getting an E-M1 now that is cheap as a 2nd body, they will loose money for unsold inventory -as they were doing with early PEN cameras.

Some waffle pieces here, that the EM-1 is now "pure profit" because it isn't a new camera any more, are nauseating.

What have the whiners given us? I suggest NOTHING because these "experts" have ever actually MADE anything that people WANT.

The EM-1 can do half a dozen things it couldn't when I bought it (Oct '13). Also, EM-1 does quite a few things better than in '13. so Olympus have supplied good add-on value.Fact is: People with NO experience of making useful items, find it easy to pretend that the work (of others) should be cheap or FREE, but that their GOLDEN OPINIONS are "worth" something.

I said EM-1 is a profit for Olympus. I didn't undermine the actual camera and none here complained or mentioned the camera as a camera -we were discussing the camera as a business product. I own two of them; I am quite well-aware of the add-ons and how useful/good they are. In reality, such add-ons are probably reused code from the E-M5 MkII and other upcoming products. Obviously, some costs were associated with the FW release, such as testing, but they are peanuts compare to the brand loyalty they are building.

In the photo of the camera's backside, you can see the LCD sagging a bit. Seems like it has vertical play rather than locking into place. This kind of construction doesn't inspire confidence or seem worthy of a premium product.

I picked up the Pen F on Friday and used it at the CP+ 2016 in Yokohama on Saturday. Coming from an aging GX1 (as such was using the Lumix 20/1.7 Gen1 lens on the Pen F), I have to say I was overwhelmed with the menu options.

Usage-wise, I left it at Av priority and didn't mess around with options too much. Love the exposure compensation dial. Found battery life was...meh. Put on my Voigtlander adapter & Leica Lux 35mm & 50mm, no issues there either. I used the EVF so didn't actually try the LCD zoomed display for manual focus.

Love the 5-axis stabiliser - I did push it down to 1/4 or 1/5 and seemed to have handled it ok.

Handling-wise, grip was small - I was a little concerned it'd slip through my fingers throughout the whole day but I had a wrist strap with me.

Overall results, a little warmer than I'm used to but seems there's an option buried in the menu (not referring to white balance menu option).

Hmmm...whilst I'd agree about a learning curve, I'd agree only to the extent of the Olympus system. I wouldn't say it's a learning curve in terms of technology. Possibly I'm used to the Nikon/Canon/Leica/Panasonic systems that the terminology/icons that Olympus isn't as intuitive.

For me it's more to do with standardisation than "basic" settings vs "advanced" settings.

Mind you, I had owned Olympus before too but those were the OM-1's/OM-3Ti days.

Don't get me wrong...I like this camera. It certainly is sexy. But it's severely lacking as a value proposition. Within reason, I don't care how a camera looks. I only care about the pictures it allows me to take.

If it were weather-sealed and had phase-detect autofocus like the E-M1, then it could justify its high price. Or if it offered 4K video.

Side note: Come on, Olympus -- how long are you going to let Panasonic and Sony kill you with this before you offer a camera that can record 4K video?

The real advantage of 4K video (to me at least) is 8 MP stills. It's like having a burst mode at 30 fps. That would be tremendously useful for sports photographers. 8K would be even better.

Suppose you're doing video for a wedding, but you also want to get a printworthy still shot of the kiss without using a separate camera. If your camera only does 1080p video, you can only get a 2 MP still.

I think about 4K for the video-centric crowd (which I am not a part of). It's becoming a tablestakes feature. If I were more of a video shooter, I'd insist on a 4K camera just because that's where the world is heading.

Just because it looks good doesn't mean it's not a serious tool. Yes, it lacks weatherization and 4K video. So what?? If these are important to you, then get an OMD/other or a camcorder/Pany/Sony et al. THIS CAMERA WASN'T DESIGNED FOR YOU. Get it? Oh, and it looks and functions awesomely (in case you care about that).

For the price Olympus is asking for the Pen F, why not get a Panasonic GX8 instead? It's weather-sealed, has the excellent DFD autofocus system and offers 4K video. It even has IBIS for your Olympus lenses.

Its like a Pany G7 without 4k.Whats the point? except to LOOK like a photographic journalist?The price is ridiculous considering the power of similarly priced gear.

Its interesting how the Pany GX8 fans are over reacting to other peoples comparissons between these two. Of course the gx8 is better technically. Although I dont think there was an agenda to holding the gx8 review off until after the pen f review I still think it poor form for the gx8 review to have not been done. The most important mft camera of 2015. But we also have to aknowledge that as guests we do not pay to read this column and thus should take all opinions with a grain of salt and simply sit back to enjoy the 'camera porn'.

I'm an Olympus guy. I shoot with an E-PL5. I'm invested in the Micro 4/3 system, with both Olympus and Panasonic lenses. I want them to do well and make good products.

One thing that continually eludes Olympus (to the benefit of Panasonic) is C-AF + TR. My E-PL5 has betrayed me more times than I can count when attempting to shoot sports action (it's just a hobby for me so I have to shoot with the camera I have).

The OM-D E-M1 improved on this somewhat by adding PDAF, but rather than trickle that important feature down to its other cameras, Olympus made the Pen-F...all style, no substance.

But even the PDAF on the E-M1 is still no match for DFD from Panasonic, and it has downsides for video.

Hi danieladougan, not sure why you think the PEN-F has no substance? Just because it doesn't have weather sealing and good AF tracking doesn't mean it doesn't have anything to offer. You seem to be under the impression that the PEN-F, because it was aesthetically/ergonomically well-designed, must not be a good camera. I think you need to go out and actually give one a try. There are many things to really like about the camera–image quality, IBIS, color tones, shooting controls, component quality, ergonomics, compact size and feature set.

The main problem, aside from bloated size, with the GX8 is the shutter-shock issue. I don't need to buy a camera with a known image quality problem. It's hard enough to get good images.

FYI, I just bought a GX85 and I am in the process of giving it a trial. Many things to like better than the GX8, but I don't like the mushy dials and plastic construction.

Not saying it's not a good camera, but these are crucial omissions (in my opinion) for a camera in this price range. Especially when you consider the competition and the other cameras already in Olympus's stable at similar price points.

This is a great camera for a compact mobile system. EVF location is better than centered for right-eye shooters and image quality is great, if not quite up to FF standards. The F is an upgrade to my E-M5 (v1).

While I'll still use my 5DII and L glass for studio work and when I want the best image quality available, the F with PRO glass will get the most use for everyday shots due to portability. BTW, the PRO lenses are ergonomically no different to handle than with any other M4/3 camera–really don't agree with the author on that issue...

Also, I couldn't care less about the front art and the rear jog dials. All the other controls are there for RAW shooting (my preference). If anything, the dials might sway me to shoot more jpegs. The complaints about the programability of these deals are petty.

WOULD like to have weather seals though.

Everything else about this camera is awesome! Chose this over the GX8 because of the superior IS system with Oly PRO glass and for vids.

I guess diffraction has something to do with it. At f5.6 you can't have the same results with 50 mpixels in a 4/3 than in a FF. Here can't have miracles. Anyway the results are better than I thought achievable.

Zaphod :) I've seem some of the results. You say you can't see the improvement? Get better glasses - it is visible and most reviewers compare it to full Marketing frame capabilities. That ain't too shabby.

I'm looking forward to the rumoured hand-held high-res ability in the Em-1 mk2.

It will be interesting to see just how far the limitations have been pushed away ..

Video? MehI'm not narcissistic enough to fancy myself as a Cecil B Demille - 4K video would be mostly wasted on me - and is on many gadget freaks.

Better IS, Better shuttershock options and Higher res (when it actually needed - ie. VERY still subjects in which you want BnB resolution), never wasted!

Noticeably smaller than a GX-8. GX8 is BIGGER if you ignore the viewfinder hump it is EM-1 sized (VF in the traditional position = use right/left eyed UNLIKE the Panny.

I'll wait for the EM-1 mk2 - the EM-1 mk1 has sufficient external controls to set it up fast

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